Chemical-Biology Interface Program (CBI-NIH Training Grant)

Science at the chemistry-biology interface brings the synthetic, mechanistic and analytical powers of chemistry to bear on new and exciting areas of biology. At the University of Massachusetts, graduate students in the chemical and biological sciences have the opportunity to participate in the NIH-funded Chemistry-Biology Interface (CBI) Training Program. CBI Trainees take part in courses, seminars, discussions and research at the forefront of this emerging, interdisciplinary field.

The CBI Training Faculty enjoy particular strengths in:

• Structural biology
• Molecular recognition
• Signal transduction
• Metalloproteins
• Protein-nucleic acid interactions
• Membrane proteins
• Protein folding
• Synthesis of novel biopolymers
• Metabolic engineering
• Biomimetic materials and tissue engineering
• Systems and computational biology

Graduate study in the CBI Training Program provides an excellent foundation for a variety of research careers in the post-genomic era.

Biotechnology Training Program (BTP-NIH Training Grant)

The objectives of the UMass Biotechnology Training Program are to:

• Create a scholarly and social infrastructure to facilitate new and strengthen existing interdisciplinary networks at UMass, particularly those at the interface of engineering and the life sciences;
• Educate students in the fundamentals of quantitative biotechnology through new lecture and laboratory courses;
• Train students to appreciate the impact of biotechnology commercially through a tailored industrial internship and regular interactions with industrial personnel;
• Provide students with opportunities to improve interdisciplinary communication, expand career opportunities, and sharpen professional skills; and
• Increase the number of students, particularly those from underrepresented minority groups groups, who pursue careers in biotechnology.

Molecular and Cellular Biology Program (MCB)

The Molecular and Cellular Biology (MCB) Program provides graduate training in virtually all aspects of biological sciences. The program serves as an umbrella program that builds close ties among its ~100 faculty members in various departments, fostering a collaborative environment that encourages interdisciplinary research.

Research falls broadly into three areas based on faculty interests — Biological Chemistry and Molecular Biophysics, Cellular and Developmental Biology, and Biomedicine. In many cases, faculty research overlaps these interdisciplinary areas.